Network Defined Application in Field Service Delivery
It took a long time for field service to embrace the use of technology in running businesses. This was because of the large volume of information that is required and the comfort managers had in the use of paper to keep tabs on the happenings in the field. Organizations in field service delivery deal with several components that gave rise to questions of scalability should technology be used. These challenges made it necessary for software developers to find ways of creating applications that are well defined. For example, an online retail store needs to keep tab of successful orders, dropped carts, number of visitors to the store, most viewed items, items to be delivered, and destinations of delivery. This can be a tall order if a network defined application is not used.
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In this article, Ranga Rajagopalan discusses service delivery architecture and why software needs to be designed to suit field service delivery structures.
The importance of elastic software-defined applications
“The flexibility of the cloud has driven IT to look closely at opportunities to replicate that agility in their own infrastructure and operations. Automation initiatives have optimized many layers of the computing stack, but application delivery services remain a last-mile problem as network teams find themselves hamstrung by inflexible legacy architectures.” read more here
Apps are being developed every other day to help improve customer experience and make execution of duties easier. Unfortunately, load balancing has become a concern for organizations which have much information that needs to be retrieved easily without facing scalability issues. It has become essential for software, especially in field service delivery to be elastic. There are so many changes that occur in the field. These changes need to be included in the system as is deemed fit. This is the only way progress can be made in service delivery without affecting the initial structure of the software used.
In this article on servicefutures.com, the author discusses the evolving nature of service delivery and how technology has been essential in initiating this change.
How the nature of service delivery is changing
“The quality of services and service deliveries has always, to a high extend, been evaluated on basis of the direct human interaction. But is this still valid? Or is technology now fundamentally changing the way many services are designed and delivered? Do you remember the times where credit cards only belonged to the few, the times where you needed to face your bank teller before collecting…” read more here
Much as many customers feel the need to interact with a person when they need a service, it is no longer a requirement. Automated systems have made it much easier for customers to get served. If anything, computerized systems have an element of self-service. Sometimes, customers feel they are in a position to effect the change they need by helping themselves. It is also satisfying when a customer can track their orders, especially in the movement of products from the warehouse to the desired destination.
In this article, Bernd Heid et al. discuss the impact technology has had on last mile delivery of services.
The influence of technology in the last mile delivery of services
“One of the best parts of the e-commerce journey is the moment that you finally get your hands on that long-sought-after, much-anticipated item you ordered. As technology increases customers’ expectations of what they can have, it is also widening their options for how those products get delivered. However, our previous research shows that customers are not only increasingly…” read more here
Cost is one of the things that determine if a customer will go through with an order or not. This explains why many online stores see so many carts being dropped. This shows that customers are more concerned about how much they spend on a service. Although the cost of making an order may be standard for most online retail stores, the difference is in the price of delivery. It has become essential for retail stores to find cost-effective ways of making deliveries without it affecting the overall cost of item ordered.
It is vital for businesses to strike a balance between the technology used and the impact it has on the company. If a software used does not make it easier and faster for a business to carry out its transactions, then it is of no use to the business. Likewise, if the technology used does not improve customer experience, it is a disservice to the customer and the organization.